Gwinnett Tech Reviewing Sandy Springs Proposal for College Campus

In the next six weeks, Gwinnett Technical College could be closer to a decision on the location of its North Fulton Campus.

Some Sandy Springs residents say the process to approve and pursue a community campus was rushed.  

During public comment at a January City Council meeting, Spalding Woods resident Dick Weber urged Council members to focus on other issues, such as infrastructure, saying, “We've got other priorities.”

That night, in a split vote, Council members approved a community college campus for Sandy Springs.

Gwinnett Tech College is reviewing all of the proposals. Sandy Springs suggested two sites. Alpharetta and Roswell submitted a joint proposal of four sites. And two separate realty entities submitted proposals.

Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos and City Council members heard public resistance to the North Springs Marta Station site and added the Pavilion at Lake Hearn to the city’s proposal.

“Sandy Springs was the only city that held public meetings,” the Mayor said.

It all came about last June when the state board of the Technical College System of Georgia voted to pursue North Fulton County as a service area for Gwinnett Tech.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to serve the residents and business community of North Fulton and are pleased that these necessary initial actions are underway," said Sharon Bartels, Gwinnett Tech president.

The proposals were invited by the Workforce Development Committee of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, headed by Georgia Power's Nancy Davis, to provide municipalities and other groups the opportunity to formally present private investment options for consideration.

“There were four proposals that were submitted, and out of those four proposals there were eight different sites that were suggested," Davis said.

Proposals were due on Jan. 31. The next step was review and ranking.

"I'm very impressed and very encouraged that the community is that interested in bringing a technical college campus to North Fulton," Davis said. "All four of these submitters did an outstanding job in putting together their proposals, and every one of them met the requirements that we had set for the proposals."

GTC’s review committee is evaluating the proposals, reviewing criteria and sites, and conducting site visits, a process that is anticipated to take about six weeks. From there, GTC will forward its ranked assessments to the TCSG. The final decision on a campus location will be made by the state Technical College System board. 

Proposals were submitted by:

• The City of Sandy Springs – two possible sites

• The City of Roswell/City of Alpharetta – four possible sites

• Land Investment Partners, LLC-24 and TPA Realty Services, LLC

• Duke Realty

Davis said she knew that the development community was interested from the start. Its members either have land or existing buildings available.

"I think the people here in this community are very smart and recognize the economic development value that a technical college will bring to their community," Davis said.

Obviously Gwinnett Tech has to put these in some kind of ranked order to show which proposal is most in line with what the college needs, either short term or long term, she said.

"They will have to secure some funding for the site, and we all know how difficult that will be," Davis sad.

The good news is that the proposal is moving ahead, she said.

In September 2010, the Technical College System board voted to place a North Fulton location for Gwinnett Tech on a list for future consideration, the first step in a multi-step process. At present, there’s no state funding for the campus. It remains a high priority on the board's list for future college projects.

To make the campus a reality will require a combination of both state funding and private investment. A Sandy Springs partnership with the college would call for a $5 million investment, half of which the city would request from local corporations.

Gwinnett Tech’s first programs in the North Fulton area will likely be continuing education offerings, with college credit courses in general education and targeted programs, including business, computer information systems and early education, following.